Anyone know what this is?

[Chris Ericksen]

I just got this from a friend. It has a small spot that is getting larger (you can easily see it in the picture, top left area). I'm not sure if it's sick or if my Red Mithrax crabs are eating it (they forage around the spot but leave the rest alone).

 

Any ideas to get it healthy are appreciated!

[jason the filter freak]

I just got this from a friend. It has a small spot that is getting larger (you can easily see it in the picture, top left area). I'm not sure if it's sick or if my Red Mithrax crabs are eating it (they forage around the spot but leave the rest alone).

 

Any ideas to get it healthy are appreciated!

 

I'm not an expert on LPS but it looks like some sort of brain coral, the spot is hard to make out.

[Chris Ericksen]

I'm not an expert on LPS but it looks like some sort of brain coral, the spot is hard to make out.

 

Here are a couple better pictures. I'm trying to figure out if the spot is something I can do something about AND if the crabs are making it worse... I'd like to keep the crabs for algae control, but I don't want them attacking this guy.

[F&Fmgr]

have you tried basting the area to see if any detritus comes up?

 

Sean

[Chris Ericksen]

have you tried basting the area to see if any detritus comes up?

 

Sean

 

I went ahead and basting and quite a bit came up. Appears as though this area is dying off, though the rest of it seems healthy without any discoloration. As I don't know exactly what this is, nor the history of it, I'm not sure if this is something that will spread or a localized issue.

 

Thanks for the basting idea, I'm sure the crabs were all over that stuff.

[treesprite]

It is possible that some detritus built up in that spot and killed the coral in that spot. I sometimes blow detritus off the corals to find little white spots underneath of it.

[Jan]

Interesting looking coral. Looks like a hook rug. Is one spot white and the other brown or reddish? Could it be brown jelly? When you used the baster did a brown slime come off of it? LPS, if stung or being eaten, can develope brown jelly disease. If it's brown jelly you should have flow on it. Moderate flow will work. You want to get rid of as much of the borwn jelly as possible because it will spread and continue to kill the coral. It can spread to other LPS too. LPS will develop brown jelly from injury due to stings, fragging, anything that causes damages to it's flesh. If it isn't in good water flow the brown jelly spreads. It can spread very quickly.

 

 

 

ut leave the rest alone).

 

Any ideas to get it healthy are appreciated!

[Jan]

Think i got the message across about brown jelly spreading?? Sheesh.

 

 

Interesting looking coral. Looks like a hook rug. Is one spot white and the other brown or reddish? Could it be brown jelly? When you used the baster did a brown slime come off of it? LPS, if stung or being eaten, can develope brown jelly disease. If it's brown jelly you should have flow on it. Moderate flow will work. You want to get rid of as much of the borwn jelly as possible because it will spread and continue to kill the coral. It can spread to other LPS too. LPS will develop brown jelly from injury due to stings, fragging, anything that causes damages to it's flesh. If it isn't in good water flow the brown jelly spreads. It can spread very quickly.

 

 

 

ut leave the rest alone).

 

Any ideas to get it healthy are appreciated!

Edited September 27, 2011 by Jan

[Chris Ericksen]

Interesting looking coral. Looks like a hook rug. Is one spot white and the other brown or reddish? Could it be brown jelly? When you used the baster did a brown slime come off of it? LPS, if stung or being eaten, can develope brown jelly disease. If it's brown jelly you should have flow on it. Moderate flow will work. You want to get rid of as much of the borwn jelly as possible because it will spread and continue to kill the coral. It can spread to other LPS too. LPS will develop brown jelly from injury due to stings, fragging, anything that causes damages to it's flesh. If it isn't in good water flow the brown jelly spreads. It can spread very quickly.

 

 

 

ut leave the rest alone).

 

Any ideas to get it healthy are appreciated!

I can add more flow, but nothing brown came off, just some light sand/detritus. The crabs do love that area, so I'm not sure if they're helping or hurting the situation.